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Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Hello everyone well here I am again with another blog post. Hopefully I can keep this up a bit. :)
Last year I was bored. I didn't have any new and interesting books to read. Sure, we have tons of books but I didn't really fancy any of them at the time. So my Mummy being the amazing Mum that she is asked on Facebook if any of her friends had some good book recommendations for me. I got quite a few, let me tell you, which was awesome.

But one lady mentioned an author called Georgette Heyer who wrote historical romance novels and that didn't have anything in them that I would need to skip!
To date I have read two of her novels and am reading happily through another. These have been: The Corinthian, Bauvallet, and now, The Black Moth.

I read the Corithian first of all. This is the synopis because I could't remember the storyline that well:
'Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, is being forced into marriage by his family, who want him to have an heir. Depressed by the life laid out before him, he nevertheless agrees to this course. The night before he is to announce his choice he comes across Penelope Creed, a young girl in boys' clothes, hanging helplessly from an upper story window. She is a very wealthy orphan who is running away from her own distasteful marriage plans. The two become allies, leave London in search of Miss Creed's childhood sweetheart, and find themselves in the middle of a dangerous game of mystery, theft, and murder.'
I remember that I was sick when I read it and so read most of it in about a day. I really enjoyed and Sir Richard made me smile and maybe even laugh as well, he was so clever. This was a regency time period novel but Georgetter Heyer also does other time periods, but not to the same extent. One of these is Beauvallet

Beauvallet was the Georgette Heyer book I had drooled over and waited and waited to eventually come to my library. Did I mention the library actually has a vast collection of Georgette Heyer books? I was delighted indeed when I found out. :)
Anyway so I finally just put a hold on it and read it. Okay, and yeah I'm being really slack and putting in another synopsis which is not my own.:
'What happens when a pirate falls in love with his captive?
During her return to Spain with her father, the lovely Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is horrified when their ship is set upon by pirates. Far worse is her discovery that their captor isn't just any pirate -- he is the notorious Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, an Englishman with a scandalous reputation for plundering Spanish ships. But Dominica's pride braces her determination to be no one's hostage . . .
It should have been easy for Sir Nicholas. It was, after all, just another ship. But instead, Sir Nicholas finds himself captivated by Dominica's dark beauty and indomitable courage. After returning his captives to their homeland, Sir Nicholas vows to win the heart of the Spanish beauty. It could be his riskiest venture yet -- and one that promises a treasure greater than any other . . .'

I really enjoyed Beauvallet and I hated Don Domingo so much! Nick Beauvallet was awesome and though I came to enjoy Dominica she also irritated me a bit. The parts in Spain were really good and fast-paced. But I did find it a bit difficult to read because it talks about the Inquisition and the portrayal though not terrible still irritated me. Joshua was so funny, too!
And that leaves: The Black Moth.

'Disguised as a highwayman, Jack Carstares, the wrongly disgraced Earl of Wyncham, found himself again face-to-face with the wicked Duke of Andover. This time, the Black Moth was attempting to abduct dark-haired beauty Diana Beauleigh. Once more Jack's noble impulse to save the day landed him in trouble, but not before sending the villainous duke scurrying.
Diana took her gallant rescuer in and nursed his wounds, and soon truer emotions grew between them. But Jack couldn't stay, for an lady and an outlaw would make a scandalous pair. Torn between his tarnished past and the hope for Diana's hand, Jack had one dangerous chance to redeem his honor--by defeating the Black Moth for good!'
Ahh! Spoilers! I'm not that far into it you see. I hate Lady Lavinia and I love Jack so far and Richard needs to grow a bit of a spine! Hopefully it will continue to be an excellent book.

So there you have it, three books from one author and oodles more of her books which I want to read! :) Some more than others. :)

Thursday, 11 February 2016

When we talk about Lent we think 'argh it's that stupid liturgical season when I have to do acts of charity and fast and give up stuff.' But is that the attitude we should have? Not at all. Lent is a wondrous season. What? How can it be a wondrous season you may ask. It's miserable you might say. The honest answer is that it's about perspective.

What is the point of lent and how can we best use the forty days before the Triduum to our best advantage? The point of lent is to draw closer to our Lord. To give up or abstain from things that we might find distracting or time-wasters, or to take on NEW things. Like prayer or doing something extra for someone you struggle to get along with. Perhaps we can read a book which will be spiritually enriching for us. The point is that by Maundy Thursday evening, when we being the Triduum we will be able to say to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament "Here Lord, this is what I have done for you to show I love you." And not matter how small a thing it may seem to us, it means so much more to him. And what we may find is that on that Thursday we feel that we truly have done something great and that we have drawn closer and had a better glimpse of what the Paschal mystery is.

I actually find Lent to be more enriching for me than Advent. The reasons behind this are:
1. Advent goes for four weeks whereas Lent goes for about six.
2. Lent is always at the start of the year and I'm ready and hyped to begin new stuff, it's also the start of school so it makes it more organised.
3. Advent in Australia is also our harvest whereas Lent starts anywhere from late summer to mid autumn.
4. I am always running around in Advent trying to get things like Christmas presents and stuff like that ready.
5. I am also organising last catch-ups with people before Christmas and this though good can also be a distraction.

So Lent for me makes a more focused and helpful season for me.

There was something I saw on Facebook the other day. Someone had written something like: "Don't give up chocolate or say you will give clothes to charity. Instead do something that will help make you into the saint that God wants you to be.

Lent can be a challenge but in a good way. Lent is a wonderful and beautiful time in which we can grow in holiness and love of our neighbour but we have to be willing to go the extra distance.
Lent is also about having a fresh start to our spiritual lives.

I pray that you all will have a happy, holy, and wondrously-enriching Lent!

This is me

Welcome

I am a sixteen year old Catholic girl and I am very passionate about what I believe and if there is something which I wish to talk about, I'll do it.

I'm glad you dropped by, and please, leave me a comment, don't be shy, I love to make new friends!

My Family ♥

You call Frodo a wimp, but let me ask you something. If you had to carry the ring, would you have done half so well? Would you have made it to Mordor? Would you even make it out of the Shire? Although I love Frodo, in my opinion Sam is the hero, because without faithful Sam, Frodo would never had made it anywhere

About Me

Praying the Rosary.

My Jane Austen Heroine

My Eragon Character

You are most like ARYA
You are a swordsman or woman of great renown and are second to no one! At the same time, you are an unsurpassed wielder of magic, vastly intelligent and wise. Any queen or king would be lucky to have you as an asset but you are also independent in nature and follow no leader blindly.